Yep.

Fire is always a useful servant.
Fire is always a terrible master.

 

Even before we were taught how to build a fire, we were taught how to contain it--and even when no fire at all was the best option. Seems a lot of the "Smokey the Bear" stuff got lost somewhere.

Some of that is probably true. But there are other factors.

Foremost, I think that city folks are even more ignorant than they have ever been... But at the same time, circumstances are such that there is great interest in the woods, in living off the land - so there is a greater load of these greenhorns than usual.

I see that here. One of the young bucks I know couldn't get a slash pile to burn this spring, so he waited for it to dry out sommore, and lit off 10 acres by the time he lit it at all. Just plain dumb, but could have been a whole lot worse.

Last spring, another one burned down his own camp kicking over an oil heater in his sleep. That was another one that got bad, but could have gone way worse.

That's two I have direct knowledge of, where normal is none. 

But by far and away, I think it is poor land management - Ladder fuels have been stacking up for years where people interact with the woods the most... And increased use is driving newbies deeper in because camps are overused and have no resources close to hand, right to where those ladder fuels are.

That's where I would go too - where the fuel is easy picking - I just have the sense it takes to keep from lighting the whole thing up.